Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharonda Adams.
Hi Sharonda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey to being a marriage and family therapist started over nine years ago when I moved to Florida to attend the University of Miami for graduate school. I originally took an interest in Psychology in high school, after taking a general course; I then majored in Psychology for undergrad at North Carolina Central University. At NCCU, my professors really helped to bridge the gap between mental health and black people- which helped me to better understand myself and the challenges I had experienced growing up.
Along the journey to becoming licensed and opening a private practice, I have worked in several populations and have found my niche to be with adolescent girls and young adult women of color. The journey to having Glo ae Sis, my skin and hair care product line, started during a very critical time within my family. I’d always mixed my own hair products but was not previously interested in making them for profit. A few years ago, my mother underwent a series of brain surgeries, four surgeries within six months. During recuperation, she experienced a lot of pain, and I became desperate to help in any way. Using what I knew about mindfulness, I began to find ways I could help, such as aromatherapy and natural oils that wouldn’t irritate healing wounds or scars. This quickly evolved into mixing massage oils to help with headaches and other ailments, then it all just flowed from there.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I appreciated the journey, but there were definitely some challenges, mostly financial. As the oldest of four daughters, raised in a single-parent home, I had not developed the best money management skills. So when it was time to apply to grad school, there were a lot of loans I didn’t qualify for, for one reason or another. So I worked full-time for the majority of my time as a grad student, and at one point, I had three jobs. I was also without a place to stay- or homeless- for a short amount of time during grad school. Picture working two jobs, going to class and a practicum all while pulling clothes from your trunk. Sounds crazy, but it happened. After becoming a registered therapist is when my mother became ill, and I decided to stop practicing for a year to assist in her care. I’d abruptly receive a call that she was back in the hospital and have to immediately fly back to North Carolina, that was a really scary time. But from that storm, Glo Ae Sis, was born.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Through my private practice- Adams Counseling- I conduct therapy with families, couples, adolescents and groups. I have collaborated with clients and families in areas including developing self-esteem, improving communication skills, alleviating depressive and anxiety symptoms, to develop coping and anger management skills, enhancing parenting skills, marital discord, family reunification, therapeutic supervised visitation, extended co-parenting, addressing and coping with mental health disorders (ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, etc.), relationship conflicts, life transitions, processing grief, sexual abuse, and trauma.
What sets me apart from others is my passion to connect with inner city communities and underserved populations. I’m most at home working with adolescent at-risk (or at-promise) girls and young women. I have worked to advocate for the rights of women and girls through my work with private and public schools in Miami-Dade, afterschool programs and the Department of Juvenile Justice. I am most proud of the platform and opportunity that I have provided for myself, as well as others, to strengthen mental hygiene through practices such as mindfulness and spirituality.
What matters most to you?
The empowerment of women and girls, and ultimately families. There will always be challenges and obstacles in life. Through those moments comes resilience. A key factor in building my resilience was the gatekeepers- or those adults, teachers and community members who helped guide me along the way by instilling messages of affirmations within me. Those moments helped me to push forward and remain focused, so I want to do my part in fostering that empowerment and resilience in the future generations of leaders.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
- Website: adamscounselingllc.com; glo-ae-sis.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdamsCounselingLLC ; https://www.facebook.com/glo.ae.sis
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/sharonda-adams-miami-fl/484216
